Category Archives: wedding

This post is overdue, but I am so fortunate that I was able to put the finishing touches on Eric’s favorites and share the story of Daryl & Kristen’s wedding day at The Bronx Zoo. Eric and I loved shooting this wedding together, we had a blast because this couple have a love for each other that is so vividly apparent looking through the lens…ah, the best kind to shoot.

Eric had edited a few of these pictures the day after the wedding and I remember him telling me how teary eyed he got looking at the images, especially of the first look. Enjoy, xo!

There are too many favorites from Leah and Brian’s wedding at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, CT, I have to just roll with chronological order…I couldn’t quite figure out how to put them ALL at the top of the post.

But I did choose the next 2 images to start with for a reason. Why, you ask?
Well would you believe me if I told you that they were taken within 5 minutes of each other, at the exact same location?!
Ah…that dynamic power of that FLASH photography that we just love – some may say we are obsessed. I’m not offended AT ALL.

Eric shot Leah getting ready at her parent’s home in Milford, CT, while I covered the guys at the hotel. The prettiest pink Badgley Mischka shoes.

Now I don’t want to make any weather predictions this early in the wedding season, but so far we have had rain at more than half of the weddings we have photographed, which…is what it is. I love this shot of Leah still smiling, despite the record low temperatures and rain forecasted for her whole day.

I arrived just in time to help tie Leah’s awesome bow, I have a little OCD control freak in me that takes over when it comes to a perfect bridal bow…weird I admit.

While it rained, we had lots of fun shooting indoors on the carousel at Lighthouse Point Park.

When the rain subsided we could not resist a night shot outside with the moon peeking through the clouds.

Awesome wedding guys and you are both so sweet, we are so lucky that we were there to capture your day, xo!

Greg and Christina’s wedding was the first time we got to shoot a wedding at The Matrix, and we are always thrilled for a fresh, new location to explore. We both grew up in the Danbury area, and currently live just a hop skip and a jump away in New Milford. So needless to say we are super pumped to have a new venue pop up in our backyard that utilizes the former Union Carbide building.

Here’s a little geek-out info for any fellow photo nerds out there. I’m trying really hard this year to not always do the same-old dress shot in the window thing that we all do each and every week so of course I freaked out when I saw this gorgeous light spilling into the hallway from the adjacent bathroom. So I rigged the dress to hang from the attic pull-down, went to the end of the hallway, composed my shot and…. LET-DOWN! Totally didn’t expect the light to not reach the top section of the dress. Since it took me at least 10 minutes to rig the dress to the attic hatch, I couldn’t give up on it.

The light source from the bathroom was coming through a skylight, bouncing off all the white tile and spilling into the hallway. But the top frame to the bathroom door blocked all that yumminess from reaching the top half of the dress. So, in true Eric style I got busted out my gaff tape and got creative with a silver reflector and toiletry drawers. Bam! Was able to bounce that light past the door frame and up into the hallway to the rest of the dress.

I know, I know…”it’s just a dress shot” you say to yourself but hey, it’s pretty cool when you put the extra effort in to try something just a little different from the usual monotony of a dress shot. The one on the left was before I set-up the reflector and the shot on the right is obviously my professional grip set-up..haha. The bottom shot is the final result.

Very cute first look, at Greg & Christina’s home in Bethel, CT, where Christina also got ready. Love her hair and makeup done by Rena of Dana Bartone.

A gust of wind came at the right time during portraits to blow some loose magnolia petals into the shot, and it looked so pretty, Eric recruited the bridal party to shake some more from the tree while he shot for such a pretty, romantic Spring portrait.

Bridal party pictures in the girls’ lovely plum dresses at The Pleasance in Newtown, CT.

The Matrix is not like any venue we’ve ever seen. The architecture is unique. Modern. Lots of glass. Lots of light pouring through the skylights. Loving the metal gridwork and clean lines.

After reviewing the reception photos, I can’t help but to interpret the space as the quintessential venue for a Saturday Night Fever themed wedding. And I mean that in the most genuine, best idea ever, way.

Thank you Greg and Christina for letting us be a part of your wedding. You are such a sweet, warm couple and we wish you a future of happiness. xo!

Getting ready in their parent’s homes always adds some nostalgia to the moment and the images. I loved the formal living room in Ashley’s mom’s home, with the vintage lace curtains. Eric and I made sure to take advantage of the beautiful light in the room for some pretty portraits of Ashley.

Ashley’s father and step-father were absolutely amazing with her the entire wedding day!

Nicole is an accountant, Nicole is super organized and when I tell you that she planned every minute of her wedding day…you probably THINK you know what I mean. But you don’t.

Now, normally I frown upon this type of wedding day management, because it usually means there is little room for flexibility and can often lead to a disappointed bride when the unexpected happens…but in this case, I have to admit, Nicole was the perfect balance of the “planner” and the “bride” that really wanted to enjoy every second of her day.

For example, it rained the majority of the day which can really cramp a brides mood, especially when they have a lawn ceremony in the plans…which overlooks the ocean. Not Nicole, she was completely calm, made the absolute most of it and was ready to get wet if she had to in order to get great pictures. The other amazing thing about her schedule (which Eric joked he wanted made into a T-shirt)…she allowed for an insane amount of picture time.

Even Jake, who was 2nd shooting commented on how spoiled Eric and I are by our awesome couples that give us ridiculous amounts of time. What can I say? We are just the luckiest!

Here are a few favorites from Nicole and Roy’s Mystic Seaport Wedding Day.

This is one example of how Eric and Jake made for such an awesome team covering the first look on the docks at Mystic Seaport. While I was helping Nicole with her dress and walking in the rain, Jake and Eric hung out with Roy in the rain and made the decision that Jake would shoot tight with 70-200mm, while Eric shot wide at 24mm to capture the scene with the boat in the background. You can see their alternating shots below and I love how two great photographers can nail both angles to provide a diverse portfolio for our couples, the best part is…I LOVE both. I hope Nicole & Roy do as well!

Jake:

Eric:

Jake:

Eric:

And then onto some romantic, rainy day portraits. Yum!

So much to shoot in Mystic, all day would have been fine by us! We had a gap in the rainy weather and we were all so happy that we were able to take advantage in Historical Mystic Seaport.

This was one of my favorites from the day, Eric was getting some gear “rain ready” in case it started pouring while we had our flashes outside, so Jake and I took advantage of shooting Nicole. You can see through this doorway was another door open on the opposite side, and while I am completely in the zone loving these shots with Nicole, Jake snuck around to the other side….wait till you see what he got!!!

I was floored, his shot completely rocks! I am so happy he saw this opportunity and took it, because this picture…the light wrapping around her shoulders is just stunning. It is sooo editorial worthy…and the light coming through the dress…I mean COME ON.

Gorgeous. Killed this one Jake.

One invaluable lesson we learned this year at Inspire Photo Seminars from the amazingly gifted keynote speaker Amy Deputy, was how a theme often unfolds in the editing process. I guess I had seen that happen before, but had never really thought about it in that way, and now the real gift that we were given is the absolute joy in finding that common thread.

We usually don’t see it while shooting during the day and, one very cute little thing that we picked up throughout this wedding day was Nicole’s Dad and his “thumbs up”.

Maybe it’s something he always does, or that everyone knows about him. Or maybe not, but regardless we thought it was a real reflection of his overflowing joy throughout the day. We have him on camera doing the “thumbs up” throughout the day alongside his ear to ear grin…it was completely contagious.

Absolutely Stunning Photos! SUch an artistic juxtaposition between the gorgeous, elegant bride and the rustic shed! I also really love the ambience the overcast, rainy day added to the shots- i think it did nothing but make them softer and more marvelous! Can’t wait to see more!

Absolutley amazing pictures! Ya know they say when the wedding is over all that’s left are the memories and the pictures and boy do they have some amazing photos to remember this special day! XXOO to the both of you!!

Jon leach

The couple makEs the pictures, but it doesn’t hurt to have a team of ace photographers bringing out The moment in each shot. A cut way, way above the norm.

Diane toner

Beautiful photos that Really captured the joy of the day. I believe these photographers also took photos for another wedding we attended in April 2011- Lauren & TJ Mazzoli. Can’t wait to see the rest.

Joellen Oakes

These pix look like they’re from Modern Bride magazine. Absolutely beautiful & very inventive poses. Love them! Thanks for sharing.

Tara and Tim had that sweet, quiet, kindness with each other that was absolutely beautiful to watch on their wedding day. He never left her side once they said their vows, and was so considerate of her dress, flowers, and extremely high heels on the rocks at the beach. When you give us an inch, we tend to take a mile. With “could not be more perfect if you tried” wedding day weather and 2 hours for pictures before cocktail hour, we were ready to bust out all the stops.

We started pictures on Hillhouse Avenue, described, according to tradition, by both Charles Dickens and Mark Twain as “the most beautiful street in America,” in New Haven, it is one of our favorite places to take pictures. Then we headed to Guilford, the plan was to shoot at Jacob’s Beach, where we shot awesome pictures in 2010, for Nichole and Andrew’s Guilford Yacht Club Wedding. When we arrived for portraits it was a cloud of dust, heavy equipment scattered about and tarps everywhere. Yikes, Jacob’s Beach was under construction. So, not knowing Guilford entirely well, and with the limo on our tail we chose a spot very close to Jacob’s Beach, Chittenden Park. We had the place to ourselves, and you will see from the images – the scenery was not lacking a thing!

I am not sure quite how this happens, but the venues we shoot at tend to be cyclical, Eric swears it is all Google and all SEO that leads us to where we end up shooting weddings, but I am not so sure. But what I am sure of is that I need some more Guilford Yacht Club in my life and definitely some more of Marissa and her amazing staff from Jordan’s Caterers. They make our job a complete pleasure and it is so nice when the venue, caters and photographers can work together as a team to make the Bride and Groom have an exceptional wedding day.

Hugest congratulations to Tara and Tim and we wish you nothing but a lifetime of happiness!

Beth from the White Dress by the Shore did a phenomenal job styling these girls on trend, using the polka dot pattern as a chic accent. For great style advice and her recent feature on polka dots, visit The Blushing Blog. I, myself have been obsessed with the classic, quirky print and have been so happy to see it popping up in fashion and now…weddings.

These bridesmaids dresses by Ivy & Aster from The White Dress by the Shore were the perfect deep red to contrast their adorable polka dot clutches. I am so happy that I swapped out their bouquets for this one shot.

I do not know where Jackie from Lord Thompson Manor found these amazing Giant Balloons, but I need more in my life. These were adorned with amazing wide polka dot grosgrain ribbon, just fabulous.

You know that you are setting the standard for the night really high when your first dance leads into the fully rehearsed “Gangnam Style“.

More evidence of Jackie’s talent, this is so elegant.

Thank you guys for being so stylish, so fun to work with and letting us be the lucky ones to capture your day, xo!

Our first visit to Lord Thompson Manor was a pretty serious one. Kristen and Alex set out to throw the party of the year with consideration for every single detail, including outstanding food, warm hospitality and pretty, sophisticated, stylish details sprinkled throughout. Jackie and her team at Lorn Thompson Manor extend comfort and care for every minute and every detail surrounding the weddings on the property. They do a tremendous job of making you feel like guests in their home.

Not only are they extremely warm and welcoming...Jackie's talent for event design, understanding the possibilities for her space and the ability to bring each element together is remarkable. This is the thing photographers and brides primarily dream about, there is adrenaline pumping eye candy everywhere you look.

For the past month or so Amber and I have been working on one of the most significant and far-reaching decisions we’ve ever made since starting this business. Throughout the whole process I’ve been trying to find an easy way to describe our partnership with Carla Ten Eyck Photography. Is it like a company merger? Is her company “buying us out”? Hmm… At 1am on my way home from one of our weddings this past weekend, the perfect representation popped into my head (which is how most of my ideas seem to happen).

We’re forming like VOLTRON baby! Yep, you heard right….we’re joining our individual strengths and forces together to form a super robot to defend the galaxy from evil

This is EXACTLY how it all went down at the C10 Studios headquarters!!

Ok well, we still have a long way to go before we’re able to maintain peace throughout the universe but this is a huge step in the right direction for Raw Photo Design. If you haven’t heard through the grapevine or seen on Facebook, numerous wedding forums, or twitter lately but we kind of suck at managing our business. The number of times I’ve heard the following sentence from a past client makes my stomach turn upside down and keeps me up at night trying to find a way to make things better: “Raw Photo was so awesome on the day of my wedding/boudoir/portrait/editorial/etc and I’m absolutely in love with all of my pictures…. but, it takes too long to get an email reply or phone call from them and it took a long time to get my pictures/album/disc/etc.”

Similar to most wedding photographers I started a photography business because I loved PHOTOGRAPHY. I loved working with people during their photo shoot or wedding day and capturing beautiful photographs of them. My single most favorite aspect of this job is witnessing the progression a person (or couple) goes through during a shoot… everyone always starts very nervous and insecure and somewhere in the middle of the process, they get comfortable… let their guard down, and the real them comes out…and that’s when I get to capture who they really are… You can almost see the exact moment it happens at every single session when you look at a series of photo thumbnails on your monitor. I can honestly work on anything photography related all night long without even noticing it’s 3am or that I haven’t left my desk in 6 hours. There’s no doubt it’s my passion and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

BUT, that has NOTHING to do with running a business. I’ll be the first to admit I am absolutely clueless when it comes to managing clients, employees, subcontractors, or anything else related to my business. It’s not because I haven’t done the work to learn how to properly do these things…trust me. I’ve read countless business books…some of them at least 5 times, attended numerous business workshops and seminars, downloaded every “management application” you can think of, etc. Conceptually I “know” what to do but just have no clue how to follow through with the processes and/or manage the people that I had implementing those processes.

Fast forward 5 years later to the beginning of October, 2012 and I had decided to shut Raw Photo Design down for good. I had been turning down new business for months explaining that I will no longer take new clients for the 2013 wedding season and focus all my attention on the weddings I had already booked for next year. I was stressed out beyond belief, hopeless, and defeated. Amber and I had done the best we could do with what we had and that was it. We were working like machines, day and night, and not a single client was happy. Being a typical man with too much pride, I hadn’t told anyone about our situation or my decision to dissolve the business; and being a typical woman who is way smarter than her typical man-husband, Amber had reached out to a number of close friends explaining our situation and asking for help.

Carla had been a close friend of ours for years and had seen us progress from our first wedding to our 100th wedding and has always been a huge help and inspiration since day one. She manages a well-oiled production MACHINE in Hartford. Sometimes I pull up to her driveway and I can hear the mechanical wheels turning, phones ringing off the hook, and production lines in full swing. Their customer service is incredible and a force to be reckoned with. It is pretty impressive to see and trust me…Amber and I did everything we could to implement the same system…in fact, Carla and I had first started meeting once a week a while back so that she could walk me through setting up the same system for Raw Photo. After 3 meetings or so it was pretty clear we were far beyond the point of no return and Carla presented me with a solution that her and Amber had been thought of and been working on….without me knowing!

It was an offer I could not refuse. Especially since the only other option was to throw in the towel. Starting today, the C10 Studio Management Team will be responsible for ALL of the client-related office tasks and back-end studio work for RAW Photo Design including all emails, phone calls, albums, production, and delivery of finished products. Now all RAW Photo Design clients will finally get what Amber and I had TRIED to provide and what they absolutely deserve more then anything: the same AMAZING customer service that C10 Studio Management Team of Dominique, Julie, Rebecca, Dave, Jazzy and Philitha have been providing for Carla and her associates for years!

Where does that leave Amber and myself? It leaves us focusing ALL of our attention, time, and resources on where they should be: the creative work. This is what we are good at, enjoy doing, and jump out of bed in the morning just thinking of it. It is why I started the business in the first place…THE PHOTOGRAPHY….NOT the business. I’m drooling just thinking about it, “You mean I get to do what I’ve always wanted to do and you will do the rest?” I swear it is Christmas a month early at the Langlois household and I just got the gift of photography for the first time in 4 years!

The finer details are being sent to existing clients as everyone is reading this but in a nutshell RAW Photo Design will still be OUR brand…same website, same look, same awesomeness. Zero portion of the photography, retouching, or awesome sauce that has defined the RAW Photo brand and style will change because Amber and myself will still be in charge of all of it. In fact, it will only improve and thrive now that we don’t have to spend so much time on what we suck at: business. We’ll finally get to spend all of our time and energy on the reason I started this business in the first place: photography.

“From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe, comes a legend…
The legend of Voltron: Defender of the Universe…
A mighty robot, loved by good, feared by evil.”

Ugh, I know how awful that can feel when you’re behind and feeling hopeless. You guys have a lot of guts, I’m impressed. I’m so glad you didn’t stop doing what you love, you guys are really talented and stopping would have been a tragedy. So glad to hear the news. Good luck you two! I’m rooting for you both!

IT WOULD BE SUCH A SHAME IF YOU BOTH HUNG IT UP AND STOPPED DOING WHAT YOU ARE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT. ERIN AND I HAVE BEEN TO MANY WEDDINGS SINCE OURS AND NOBODY’S PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE EVEN COME REMOTELY CLOSE TO THE PREPARATION AND EXECUTION THAT YOU DEMONSTRATED…LET ALONE THE QUALITY AND CREATIVITY OF YOUR WORK. WE SEND OUR WARM WISHES AND BEST OF LUCK FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR. NOW HOPEFULLY YOU GET TO RELAX A LITTLE. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND CONGRATS!!!

ha ha jae, sorry if my post wasn’t clear enough! Eric and amber I am beyond excited about this, and so happy to be even the smallest part involved in keeping you guys shooting!
looking forward to all of the amazing things we have coming up with you guys
xoxo

Congratulations! It’s a great thing to see that you two will be happy doing what you love to do with some back end help! ;) Doing what you guys did takes courage and it’s easy to see that you put your clients needs first. I’m glad you guys are staying in business, i absolutely love your work!

I am sooooooo happy FOR YOU GUYS. I was slightly afraid that you were going away after reading Carla’s posting but this put me at ease. You are basically outsourcing except keeping it in murrica haha. I love the Voltron analogy. You guys are defending the galaxy and interwebs against evil posey posey pictures. I’m so glad you guys are staying in business.

When I was reviewing the picture locations for Lindsey and James' wedding, which included a stop at The Seagrape, their Fairfield University college bar, I knew this wedding was going to be a really fun day of shooting. Lindsey, who works at Louis Vuitton in NYC clearly has an eye for fashion and I was in awe of how glamorous she was styled for her wedding day, let's just say we had so much fun taking her picture. I think it is clear by looking at the reception coverage, Lindsey and James know how to throw an insane freaking party, and the music at the reception was some of the best dance music I've ever heard! There were lap dances, confetti guns, people in chairs, breakdancing...the New Haven Lawn Club has never been rocked this hard! Enjoy your images guys, we feel so lucky to have met such a wonderful, fun couple and being a part of a wedding like theirs is the reason why we love what we do. Leave comments below for Lindsey and James to enjoy! xo

Motorcycles, classic cars, sexy, vibrant red wedding details, pyrotechnics, and...
I definitely heard some Def Leppard on the dance floor.
Need I say more?
This was our first time shooting at Villa Barone in Mahopac, NY. In true form for a fave Raw Photo couple, Joya and Michael went all out to secure a secondary location to shoot.
And, oh no, they didn't stop there, the huge win was the insane classic, cherry red car they rented for the day. For us, the stress-free, generous shooting time that they incorporated into their timeline made it easy to get these amazing shots during some gorgeous light. From these images, I think it is pretty clear that Eric and I were having a blast shooting.
Congratulations guys, enjoy your images, they are completely stunning and it was amazing to work with you both! Thank you Rob O'Brien for all of your awesome help assisting.

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raw photo design

i am in love with raw photo design i did not know you did pictures of lindsey and savannah and all those other people!

The hugest shout-out and special thanks to these two very talented ladies for capturing photographs that Jamie & Neil will cherish forever: Danielle Fuller of Beyond the Lens Photography and our radtastical 2nd photographer and Associate Portrait Photographer Janet Taub

I often get asked from fellow photographers, friends, and family what is the most difficult aspect of a wedding to photograph. The answer to that question always surprises whoever asks because what I find a challenge may not be difficult for someone else and vice versa. For instance, other photographers often ask, "Isn't it difficult to use all that lighting gear at weddings?" while friends and family assume... "It must be a challenge to come up with poses for all those people!"

Nope...wrong answer. I can probably recite lighting ratios in my sleep and there are so many different locations and people that we work with that posing is almost never an issue.

So.....what is it? Well....hands down, the most challenging aspect of wedding photography for me is to CONSISTENTLY CAPTURE AMAZING + NATURAL CANDID MOMENTS. This has been a huge goal for me during the 2012 season because it's one area of my work that needs a huge improvement.

Since I have so much to learn when it comes to capturing natural candids, I have a HUGE appreciation for photographs that capture the true nature of an individual in a candid and unobtrusive manner. Which is why I could not be more IMPRESSED + BLOWN AWAY + SPEECHLESS with Danielle and Janet's photos of Jamie & Neil's adorable wedding at the Candlewood Inn in Brookfield, CT. I can't help but smile while looking at each one of these shots...the perfect expressions....the unposed demeanor...and the natural reactions are absolutely breathtaking. I feel like I totally know what Jamie & Neil are both thinking in each one of these photos.

A heart-felt congratulations to Jamie, Neil, and both families and we wish you nothing but a lifetime of happiness. Enjoy!

Ah. The Louboutins. In my world you cannot dislike a designer with the self professed goal “make a woman look sexy, beautiful, and to make her legs look as long as I can.”

I am always in awe of those freakishly talented artists – their clear vision and ability to create something that is seen by the world as legendary, iconic.

Amanda’s pop of pink was definitely not overlooked beneath her wedding gown. She definitely gets a gold star from me for choosing these perfect Louboutins, adorned with a deliciously oversized satin bow to wear for her wedding day. drool.

Please indulge in a few of our favorite photos from Amanda and Vincent’s wedding day, and don’t be shy, leave comments for the newlyweds in the message box to the right. xo!

Fierce.

Love this bridal party shot taken on Hillhouse Avenue, Yale University Campus in New Haven, CT. Amanda and Vincent’s closest people definitely brought their A-game to the pictures.

Amanda and Vincent’s day began with getting ready at The Omni Hotel in New Haven, CT.

Clearly, Amanda is beautiful, and was a very elegant bride. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to photograph these storytelling, candid, getting ready moments.

It is so exciting to be a part of that building anticipation for the day, and the pictures describe it better than words ever could.

Amanda and Vincent are serious animal lovers…and we know that because we took a bridal party detour during picture time to stop at their house and grab a quick shot of each dog with our “just married” couple. I know these are probably going to be some of their favorite shots and each is definitely frame worthy – so I am so happy that we all took the few minutes to make it happen.

A great benefit to having an early ceremony with a decent gap before cocktail hour is TIME, and we had a great timeline on Amanda and Vincent’s wedding day. It was stress free, allowed Eric to be spontaneous and creative for some really great shots on Hillhouse Avenue, walking around the historic Yale Campus ,and even grabbing some of the great historic buildings at Yale for a bunch of diverse backdrops.

These girls were having so much fun and were excited for the pictures we were taking (obviously = bridesmaid brownie points)…so, when I was shooting the decorative details at The New Haven Lawn Club, they grabbed me for a shot to “surprise” Amanda.

On the spot my memory did an instant recall of the Bridesmaids Movie poster…and then we did a rendition.

This was the visual I had filed away somewhere in my brain, stored under “B for Bridesmaids” I guess?

The ballroom of the New Haven Lawn Club is always dynamic and I really love it’s unique character; the crystal starburst chandeliers and decorative mirror panels above the fireplace add elegance, without competing with the potential for the space to be transformed into exactly what each couple has envisioned.

I loved the palette, lighting design, style and glamour that Amanda and Vincent incorporated throughout their receptions details. You gotta just check it ALL out.

And how amazing is that hint of SPARKLE everywhere?

And who is responsible for all of this? Well these are some amazing vendors to work with…

Congrats guys, thanks for being patient for this post. We loved working with you, and hope these beautiful pictures were worth the wait. As always, please “share”, “like”, “pin” and “tag” away with photo credit to www.rawphotodesign.com, xo!

"The shoes of Christian Louboutin are known across the world for their superior style, glamour – and those trademark red soles. Since 1992, those red soles have been a feature of Louboutin shoes and they have become as recognizable as any of the other major brands around today. One thing is for certain: if you are wearing a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes with red soles, you are going to get noticed for all the right reasons. One of the best things about the success of these shoes is that the incorporation of the red soles happened by accident. Christian Louboutin said that in order to make one of his shoes more exciting, he painted red nail varnish onto the sole of it, making it instantly pop with life and energy." - Red Soles

And…when you are gonna bug your couple “just one more time”, you test the light and make sure it’s worth it. Guess what….IT WAS.

We couldn't resist playing around with the light during the “Blue Hour”, always a fave.

Guess where my new favorite place is? Riverhead, Long Island & Westhampton Beach, NY. This little RAW family {with kids, sister, babysitter, and Brenden all in tow} headed to the Hampton's for a very special Memorial Day weekend wedding. It was nothing but eye-candy for us shooting at the impeccable Oceanbleau venue, which is situated right on the ocean {in between all those famous Dune Road mansions} on Westhampton Beach, Long Island, NY. Please enjoy these images as much as we enjoyed Kelley and Tom {who also happen to be the sweetest, nicest, and most genuine people on the planet}, leave comments below and share their link. xo!

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Kelley Jerige

I can’t stop looking at Our photos! They are simply stunning. Eric, amber and brenden – you guys are An amazing team and I can’t wait to find a reason for another shoot with you guys. A Boudoir shoot would make a great anniversary gift, no?

Now, check out some of the great getting ready details that Eric and I shot at Christina’s mom’s home, before we headed to the venue.

You will see below that Eric and I had a little friendly competition on the best shoe shot, mine’s on the yellow quilt and his is hanging from the teal frame.

As much as I hate admitting this, I actually like his more than mine. It isn't fair, he is always SO good...it can be frustrating when you are as competitive as I am. Regardless, Christina has two different shots that both do her Manolos justice. Whose shot do you prefer?

Here's why...we not only get to have a favorite friend, Danielle Fuller of Beyond the Lens as our guest Associate Photographer for Jessica & Jason's wedding, but I ACTUALLY got to pick and tweak this awesome-sauce for the blog.

I'm a longtime Cornhole fan, and if there's Cornhole at a wedding, I should really be there shooting it {let's be honest}.

But...if I couldn't be {like this time}, then Danielle and Janet are the next two in line to capture a couple that is JUST THAT awesome! Enjoy these images as much as I did; a ridiculous job shooting by Danielle and Janet of this OMG gorgeous couple.

Hands down. Hawt.

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Danielle

Jessica and Jason were SO MUCH fun to photograph. Awesome vibe, gorgeous couple…and cornhole! Bliss!

It still upsets me knowing that I could not be there to celebrate your special day And these pictures only give a glimps of how much fun the night must have been!! I wish you manY Years of happiness and not so many expensive fights!!

Abagail Drentwett

I love u guys and I’m soo happy I got to go to ur amazing weddinG it was soo beautiful u really out did YourSelves!!! I love u soo mUch an wish u many many Years of happiness!!!

April hArmon

These pictures are amazing! I can’t waIt to see more!

Mathias harmon

As member of the wedding party I saw first hand how great raw photo design was. They do extremely high quality work and are very nice people to be around for the day!!

Speechless! Absolutely breath taking, words can’t describe what these photo’s have captured. Love you guys. You are both perfect.

Jillian saWyer

Absolutely love the piCtures. The wedding looks beautiful and like everyone had fUn. Wish I could have been there! Congratulations I wish you both so much hapPiness! Look forward to getting to know both of you! So much love to You both!!!

I became a fan of RAW Photo Design years ago. I was always impressed at their unique perspective and approach to weddings; their work always stood apart from the rest and was intriguing to look at. But it wasn’t until I saw their creative vision capture my family, friends, and most of all, my wife, that I was truly floored by RAW’s talent. It’s not often that a “husband & wife” team possesses the caliber of pure artistic vision and professionalism that Eric and Amber do. From the moment we met with them, they were easy to talk to, made us comfortable, and understood the style we hoped for. Throughout the day they took control with ease and comfort and never once seemed to break a sweat…truly amazing. They were in sync with one another and quietly moved around in the background, capturing our wedding in a way I couldn’t have imagined. While their work speaks for itself, I just need to reiterate how truly incredible they are. Thank you guys for photographing our wedding and never missing a beat!

Michelle you were breathtaking, brian so handsome, and the photographers captured the day perfectly in these pictures! The most beautiful wedding pictures I have ever seen in a long time. All our love..anne & kieran

Lauren

Love the pics they came out great!!!! And again congrats to Michelle and Brian!!!

maryellen cortigiano

You are the most beautiful bride I’ ve ever seen.and Brian ain,t to shabby either.love maryellen.

Michele, and Brian,, I love your photos absolutely beautiful and they tell such a great story and their uniqueness really brinngs out everyones personalities. you were so right to choose this photographer

Courtney

Michelle and Brian’s pics look amazing!! I can’t wait to see more!!

tommy p

Amazing photos of all of you. everyone looks beautiful and full of happiness. the photographers who took these pics really did a great job

Pat Linck

Michelle, Enjoyed looking at your Wedding photos so nice and you just looked so beautiful. Much happiness to you both.

I cannot figure out why I have such bad luck at this particular venue, but Jim and Emily’s wedding was no exception. I always follow all the rules and try to be on my best behavior while I am at work shooting a wedding, for some reason I am all over their radar.

I get caught out breaking rules and I don’t even mean to – ugh.

So, the first time I was shooting with Eric at the Waterview, I had a glass of wine at dinner. I didn’t think it was a big deal, it was that time!

The problem is, the Waterview doesn’t allow vendors to have a glass of wine {or drink at all}, and the coordinator {who did not know I was Eric’s wife}, went up to him and told on me!

He was like, “Ugh, we had no idea. I’m really sorry, that’s my wife”.

Strike 2 was at Emily & Jim’s wedding, during their couple bridal portraits at The Waterview. If you don’t already know this, the Waterview has very strict rules about which side you stay on {they have 2 weddings simultaneously}. Which, is fine, no big deal. I totally get it and am on board.

That said….

I see that the couple from the “other side” was wrapping up pictures with their photographer – we just had to get one or 2 more shots of Emily & Jim. The “other side” ALSO happened to have the only flowering tree on the entire property.

So…

I approach the couple and the photographer on my own, I very politely ask them if the minded us grabbing a few shots in front of the pink flowering tree once they were completely finished shooting.

And they said “Of course, no problem! We are finished now, go for it, all yours!”

We grab a few shots, everyone is happy. Eric is excited about the pink flowers, Emily & Jim are happy, and it took all of 2 minutes –
Perfect, AWESOME! Right?

It was.

Until…I turn around and see “not so smiley” venue management team headed straight for me. Not again?! Yup, I did it. Turns out even though “other side couple” said no problem, they went inside and told on me!!! They said I made them uncomfortable?! Me?!

I apologized and really have to make sure my next trip to the Waterview is a flawless one.

Yes, we took this next shot. Yes, it was the best we could do. And does it perfectly capture these little guys who had held it together all day long? I think so. Then it was off to grab some well deserved naps.

Jim and Emily are just simply the sweetest.

Their wedding in Monroe, CT was classic, elegant, timeless and everything was just so freaking pretty. Lots of feminine details, which I love. And you can't help but gush over all of the adorable moments captured.

Clean, fresh, classic makeup by Blush Couture completed Emily's beautiful bridal look. Rob O'Brien is THE MAN for shooting and assisting with us, I am blown away by some of the amazing reception images he took.

Leave a congratulations or comment below for this happy, newlywed couple. Enjoy!

Lynda & Sal took advantage of a space that we are always excited to shoot in, The Palace Theater; an iconic gem in the city of Waterbury...and it is a photographers sweet spot for taking pictures. We absolutely love to suggest this as a rainy day back up plan to our brides for photos on the wedding day. Enjoy!

Maybe you live under a rock? Maybe you are just a bit late to the party?

Don't feel too bad, Eric and I arrived to the Mad Men party last year and felt like we had missed out on a secret society for far too long. After reading this post and seeing these images you have no excuse, you are obligated to indulge in every possible minute of Don Draper {did you know that the fictional Draper was named the most influential man in the world... ahead of real-life figures?}.

I concur.

Love vintage-modern? The 1960's, outstanding style, bouffant 60's hair styles...or are already a Mad Men fan? There is much here to drool about. Head over to the Wedding Chicks blog to see their amazing Mad Men feature of our shoot.

[...] on hand for both hair and makeup for this beautiful bride and bridal party. The wonderful team from Raw Photo Design hit it out of the park as usual with the photography. They had the opportunity to shoot with [...]

Congratulations guys, thank you for being such a pleasure to work with! And some more…from Kent Falls.

Crystal & Tim's day after bridal session was shot at Kent Falls in Kent, CT. A shout out to my girl, Meredith of Pygmalion Design for Crystal's bouquet and the uber-talented Catie Bane of Dana Bartone & Company for professional hair and makeup styling that is second to none.

Listen, I am at a lot of weddings. A lot of events. I don’t know what Tony does…but these flowers look like they are from another planet. Always so fresh, so vibrant, so unique. He is a floral mad-scientist and it is truly an honor to photograph his artistic genius.

This wedding had no regard for the status quo, as weddings should, and with the talents of these vendors {who are also our dear friends} involved...Jameira and Greg were in the best hands possible. Feast on this eye candy, it's a detail binge.